David’s Dream Team
Hear O Israel: Today you are on the verge of battle with your enemies. Do not let your heart be faint, do not be afraid, and do not tremble or be terrified because of them; for the Lord your God is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies to save you. Deuteronomy 20:3-4
Recently, I had the pleasure of seeing David at Sight and Sound! It was simply awesome in every way. The technology has come a long way and…wait, this is not supposed to be an advertisement. However, one of the essential elements to the story was his dream team. From Moving Mountains, here is a devotion that is quite impressive.
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An Amazing Fact: The 1992 U.S. men’s Olympic basketball team, nicknamed the “Dream Team,” was the first American Olympic team to feature active NBA players. It was considered one of the strongest teams in any sport and beat opponents by an average of 44 points each game. It won the gold against Croatia in the summer games in Barcelona.
Some of the famous names of this team include Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippin, John Stockton, Karl Malone, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird. In June 1992 the team made its debut in Portland, Oregon, where they easily beat the Cubans 136 to 57 and prompted their coach, Miguel Calderon Gomez to say, “You can’t cover the sun with your finger.”
Fans and opposing players all welcomed the Dream Team to the Olympics and wanted their pictures taken with them. But not everyone liked them. They received death threats and were guarded by soldiers with Uzis. The team was elected to the Basketball’s Hall of Fame in 2010.
In the Bible, we find a “dream team” in the Old Testament. David had his “mighty men,” 37 in all, who were powerful warriors with stories of great victory. God used these soldiers to give Israel victory over its enemies. These are men who fought lions and single-handedly dispatched hundreds of Philistines. Three men broke through a stronghold of Philistines at Bethlehem just to get a drink of water for David.
But victory does not go to the men; the glory goes to God. Many times, in the Bible you will read, as in 2 Samuel 23, “So the Lord brought about a great victory (v.12). David’s dream team knew where all the power came from for beating the enemy—strength comes from the Lord. When we face our own enemies, we can be part of dream team of heavenly hosts who will fight for us.
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Just think, we are part of the greatest dream team in the history of the world!